Graduate Student Handbook - Brown University
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Graduate Student Handbook
Department of the History of Art and Architecture
Brown University
Last Updated 1/21Graduate Student Handbook
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Getting Oriented 3
Graduate School and University Resources
Department Resources:
People
Graduate Student Representation
Facilities and Resources
Communication
Department Events
Summary of Program Curriculum and Requirements 8
Admission Requirements
Program Overview
Academic Requirements
MA Requirements 8
Coursework
Language Requirement
Master’s Qualifying Paper
Research Roundtable Seminar
Applying for admission to the PhD Program
Requirements for the PhD 11
General Examination
Dissertation Committee and Prospectus
Colloquium Examination
ABD Status
The Dissertation
Teaching Assistantships and Proctorships 16
Evaluation of the Student in the Department 18
Suggested Course of Study 21
For students entering without an MA in art history
For students entering with an MA in art history
Finding a Job 25
iiAppendix A: Finding External Fellowships & Grants 26
Appendix B: Practical Tips for Arriving Students 27
Appendix C: Program Requirements Checklist 29
Appendix D: Course Codes for Advanced Students 30
Appendix E: Frequently Asked Questions 31
Appendix F: Excerpts from the Union Contract 33
iiiIntroduction
Welcome to the Department of the History of Art and Architecture, in the Humanities Division of
Brown University. This handbook is designed to help you plan your path towards your MA and PhD
degrees in our Department and to give practical information and guidance to make your time at
Brown University as successful and rewarding as possible. No written document, however, can be a
substitute for personal interactions. We urge you to seek advice often and regularly from the
Director of Graduate Studies, your advisor, other faculty members, and graduate students in the
Department. Some of you come directly from a BA program, others will have an MA or MArch
degree or professional experience. Whatever your background, it is useful to remember that a PhD
program is a professional degree program. It is intended not only to provide further course work,
but also to hone relevant skills in research, critical thinking, writing and teaching, and to prepare you
for a career in the humanities, whether in the museum world, academia, or the many other positions
where the histories of art and architecture are essential.
Our commitment to diversity and inclusiveness extends from the composition of our intellectual
community to the content of our scholarship and teaching. In so doing, we seek to provide students
with a variety of perspectives on the history of art and architecture worldwide.
Graduate students complete this program with the skills necessary to pursue independent research
and careers in a variety of fields related to the analysis of visual art and material cultures. The fields
within the study of the history of art and architecture in the department encompass a wide range of
different research practices, objects of study, necessary languages and resources. Most
fundamentally, we are all interested in understanding the contextual histories of built environments
and visual cultures. This requires a knowledge of past scholarship in particular fields, as well as
understanding how productive questions have emerged both in specific disciplines and in the
humanities and humanistic social sciences in general, to which our own research should make a
significant contribution. Each graduate student in this department faces this challenge through
undertaking a combination of required and elective courses leading ultimately to researching and
writing an original book length manuscript (a dissertation) on a topic chosen with the advice of an
expert committee.
The several degree requirements that are summarized here and further explained in this handbook
are intended first to prepare students to develop a dissertation topic, and then to provide guided and
funded time in which to write it. The department offers a variety of lecture courses of various sizes,
smaller participatory seminars, and opportunities for intensive individual mentorship through group
or individual reading courses.
• The distribution requirement, which consists of coursework across a range of chronological periods
and around the world, addresses our desire to prepare students broadly not only in the art of different
times and places, but in the techniques of interpretation that have developed in each subfield.
• The required graduate seminar in the Methods of Art Historical Interpretation (HIAA 2920) further
provides a familiarity with the historiography of art and architectural history, as well as with its most
productive engagements with other disciplines such as literary studies, anthropology, history, or
psychology.
• The required Practicum seminar (HIAA 2930) provides every graduate student the opportunity to
work directly with objects and collections towards a public outcome. Each Practicum is different in
topic and outcome, and have produced websites, catalogues and exhibitions, among other things.
• A minimum two-semester teaching requirement ensures that all students become familiar with
syllabus design, leading student discussions and other teaching methods, and evaluating student
work. There are many further opportunities to gain both teaching and museum experience, which
1are described in this handbook, and which graduate students are expected to pursue.
• Language requirements assure that students acquire the linguistic resources necessary to
undertake thorough research, access materials, and engage in debates relevant to their fields.
• Participation in the departmental Research Roundtable encourages the collegiality and professional
comportment at the foundation of all good academic conduct and provides a model for it.
Before students are granted entry into the doctoral program, but after they have completed the above
requirements, a Qualifying Paper (QP) must be submitted and approved. This paper, which is much
like a Master's Thesis, demonstrates the student's ability to frame and address a question of
importance to art or architectural history. Its format is discussed in depth further on in this handbook,
but its purpose is to inculcate preparation for the more sustained dissertation project, and to
demonstrate this ability to the faculty. When the above requirements have been completed
satisfactorily and in good time, each student prepares for and undertakes a qualifying examination,
with both a written and an oral component, that assures broad familiarity and competence with the
basic bibliography of the student's teaching and research fields. Only after passing that exam may
students present a proposal for a dissertation project to a committee formed for that purpose, which
will then be their major guiding resource for the approximately three years that ensue until the
finished dissertation is submitted for final approval, and the student obtains the PhD degree. The
purpose of this handbook is to explain this process as clearly as possible, while building in the
flexibility we feel will encourage the most original projects, which often can challenge rules,
timeframes, and traditional approaches.
Beyond the above requirements, our goal is to prepare graduate students to become successful
authors, educators, museum professionals or preservationists (etc.), by engaging them in the critical
thinking, writing and looking necessary to formulate and address productive questions for our
evolving field. We expect our students to evaluate extant approaches with creativity, knowledge and
respect, and to make field-changing contributions to our understanding of the circumstances of the
creation of cities, buildings, and images in every medium by way of the books, articles and catalogues
they publish, the exhibitions they prepare, the conferences they participate in, and their innovative
and effective teaching.
2Getting Oriented
Graduate School and University Resources
The Graduate School website (https://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/) has complete and
up-to-date information about resources, policies and procedures that apply to all graduate students
and departments across the university. Please refer to it, or ask the Departmental Graduate
Supervisor for assistance in navigating the site if necessary. Brown has many resources for all kinds
of problems and eventualities, but of special note are the following points:
• Students seeking more information about Medical Leave should contact Student Support
Services (Graduate Center, 4th floor) and https://www.brown.edu/offices/student-
support/student-support-services). Please call 401-863-3145 or
email studentsupport@brown.edu for assistance.
• The Brown University LGBTQ center provides a variety of resources
at https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/lgbtq/
• Student Accessibility Services (SAS) coordinates services and accommodations for students with
physical, psychological, and learning disabilities, and temporary injuries (20 Benevolent Street, 1st
floor and https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/accessibility-services/)
• Counseling and psychological Services (CAPS) provides free confidential counseling (J. Walter
Wilson, Room 516, 401-863-3476). CAPS offers Saturday appointments for graduate students from 9
am to 4 pm during the academic year at Health Services, 13 Brown Street. See
https://www.brown.edu/campus-life/support/counseling-and-psychological-services/
• Maria Suarez, Associate Dean of Student Support in the Graduate School, is the contact
person for Master’s and PhD students (maria_suarez@brown.edu, 401-863-1802)
Students should inform their advisor, DGS, department chair or individual professors if they have a
disability or other condition that might require accommodation or modification of any procedure in
this handbook. As part of this process, students can register with Student and Employee
Accessibility Services (SEAS) and provide an academic accommodation letter from them to the
appropriate person. For more information, please contact SEAS (401) 863-9588 or
SEAS@brown.edu.
The Department of the History of Art & Architec ture
People
The Department shares the 4th floor of the List Art Center with the staff offices of the David Winton
Bell Gallery. The Bell Gallery’s exhibition space is located on the 1 st floor. The Visual Art
Department (VISA) is also located in List; their office is in Room 222, and various studio, workshop,
and exhibition spaces are on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th floors as well as the basement. Since the Department is
relatively small, interaction with VISA faculty, students and staff is easy and informal.
Staff
The office, List 223, is the main hub of the Department. The staff can answer most of your practical
questions, including those about payroll, ID cards, keys, photocopying and scanning, mail, arranging
tech help, scheduling language exams, etc.
The two important members of the HIAA administrative staff are:
Diana Adamczyk, Academic Office Manager (Diana_Adamczyk@Brown.edu, 863-1175)
You would apply to the Academic Office Manager to gain access to your file, and to update
personal information. Diana keeps track of the semesters you spend TAing, on Proctorship, or on
Fellowship in order to adjust payroll.
3Nancy Safian, Communications Coordinator (Nancy_Safian@Brown.edu, 863-1174).
In addition to handling all communications and community engagement for the Department, the
Communications Coordinator can book rooms, keeps track of TA and faculty office hours, manages
distribution of keys, mailboxes and other logistical matters, reimburses permitted expenses and schedules and
administers language exams. She is also in charge of changes to the website.
Faculty positions and Responsibilities:
The department has a Chair, a Director of Graduate Studies, and a Director of Undergraduate
Studies. These faculty appointments rotate, and come up for renewal every three years. Aside
from these, every year faculty members are chosen to serve as Sheridan Center Representative, a
Diversity and Inclusion Representative, and Departmental Lectureship Coordinator. These roles,
which also rotate among the faculty, are indicated on the People page of the Department website.
Department Chair
The Department Chair is a regular member of the faculty elected for a three-year term. The Chair is
the liaison between the University administration and the department, co-ordinates course
scheduling, approves disbursement of department funds, calls faculty meetings, and initiates faculty,
post-doc and adjunct searches and hires in the department, among many other duties.
Director of Graduate Studies
The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the department is also a regular member of the faculty
appointed by the Chair and usually serving for a three-year term. The DGS can address questions
regarding the timeline for your graduate studies, course and language requirements, as well as TA and
proctorship assignments, or departmental standing and procedures. The DGS is also available to
mediate, or for advice and direction in case of problems with TAing, proctoring, funding, or other
graduate-related issues. The DGS holds regular office hours (also to be found on the People page)
or you may make an appointment by email. Students should meet with the DGS at least once every
year to assure that they are on track.
Graduate Student Representation
HIAA graduate students are represented by a delegate chosen by the faculty in departmental
searches, and they elect a representative who participates actively in department faculty meetings.
Students have formulated various organizational positions within the Department. Positions vary
according to the interests of those in residence in any given year, however in general they have
included the following (identified on the Graduate People page of the website):
Graduate Liaison to the Faculty – This person attends most faculty meetings as the representative
of the interests of the graduate students at HIAA and in communication with the DGS, and
communicates faculty actions and requests to grads via the HAAGRAD listserv, coordinates
activities of the grad community, calls meetings and forms working groups as necessary. This
representative is elected by the graduate students at the end of each academic year for the following
year, and rotates annually among the graduate students.
Graduate Student Council Representative – attends monthly meetings of the Graduate Student
Council; communicates GSC activities to HAAGRAD listserv.
Sheridan Center Representative – communicates information on Sheridan Center programs to
HAAGRAD; with Faculty Sheridan Center Rep, helps facilitate and attends micro teaching sessions
of those who are seeking Sheridan teaching certificate.
Bell Gallery Representative – attends Bell Gallery exhibition planning meetings (monthly, or less),
representing interests of grad community and reporting results to HAAGRAD listserv.
4Grad Lecture Coordinator – helps organize guest lectures or lecture series, working in conjunction
with the faculty lecturship coordinator.
Facilities and Resources
Faculty and Graduate Offices
All faculty offices are located on the 4th floor of List. All graduate students will be issued keys to the
graduate offices, List 404 and 405, where there are computers, individual storage lockers, printing
facilities and a flatbed scanner. List 406 is reserved for TAs to hold office hours and related tasks. It
is important for all users to coordinate schedules in making equitable use of the room. Office hours
should be posted outside the door to alert students to TA schedules and avoid double booking of the
room.
Graduate Lounge
The grad lounge is located in List 219. Students are assigned individual mailboxes there. Only grads,
faculty, and staff have key access to the lounge, so any deliveries or notes/papers from undergraduate
students should be left in the general graduate student mailbox in the main office or other designated
drop-off points. Mail is delivered from the general mailbox to personal boxes once daily and should be
checked regularly. A microwave, refrigerator, reading material and a bulletin board for graduate
announcements all can be found in the graduate lounge.
Multimedia Computer Lab
Located on the 5th floor of List, these facilities are also open for HIAA use. Iris printers and scanners
of different sorts to be found there, used by artists and architects, are also useful if planning
illustrations for publication. Please make an appointment with the Manager in that office: 863- 9530.
Computer Clusters and Training
Computer clusters, scanners, and printers can also be found in Brown’s university libraries. Training
in a wide variety of software applications is offered through LearningPoint
(http://www.brown.edu/about/training).
Libraries
On arrival you are expected to explore the libraries at Brown and familiarize yourself with their
holdings and services, especially the Rockefeller Library, which is our circulating library, and two
rare book collections: the John Carter Brown Library specializing in books about the Americas, and
the Hay Library, with extensive archives as well as a collection of Artist’s Books, manuscripts, and
books printed before 1900. The Rockefeller Library (“The Rock”) regularly offers introductions to
holdings, databases, searching aids, etc. The main website of the Brown University Libraries is a
portal to a vast array of electronic research tools and services: https://library.brown.edu/index.php
Brown’s library system also includes the Orwig Music Library, and the Sciences Library. There are
many other small, specialized collections specific to departments and programs that you will get to
know as you become involved with them, for example, Modern Culture and Media (MCM)
collections. In addition, Brown’s library relies on a consortium of local lenders, most immediately
the nearby RISD library and the Providence Athenaeum, which Brown students can access through
our on-line library catalogue, Josiah, Borrow Direct, and Interlibrary Loan.
Art History Reference Librarian Karen Bouchard, whose office is on the A-level of the Rockefeller
Library, can orient you to the library and can help with questions about Fair Use, and aid you in
5locating particular images for teaching or publication (Karen_Bouchard@brown.edu). She is a
reference librarian as well as our specialist librarian, and can help with using and locating databases
and related skills. You may make an appointment with her for an individualized consultation about
research resources in your field, and can also advise your undergraduate students to consult Karen
for assistance with their research.
Instructional Image Collection
Instructional Images at Brown can be accessed through Luna Insight, an electronic resource available
through the library (on the Josiah catalogue). In addition, Brown subscribes to ARTstor, a digital
library of over one million images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences.
Members of the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) will also have access to SAHARA (which
runs through ARTstor.
The Art Slide Library collection closed in July 2010. However, the slides will remain in some way
accessible and will continue to be digitized and catalogued in an on-site imaging collection.
Study Carrels and Library Lockers
Graduate students are eligible for their own carrels or lockers in the Rockefeller library, which they
may register for by email or at the circulation desk. A list of available carrels can be found on the
library website. In addition to providing a place to work, a carrel is useful for charging out limited
circulation books for longer periods, rather than charging them to your ID card for a short loan.
Books charged to carrels must be left on the carrel; they cannot be removed from the library unless
charged out to your ID. No books may ever be placed on your carrel without charging them out to
the carrel at the circulation desk.
Communication
Announcements, E-mails, and Flow of Information
Most departmental announcements and much of the daily information flow are communicated via
email. Therefore, it is crucial that you establish your account as soon as you arrive on campus (see
Appendix B for instructions), that you check your email daily, respond to requests for information
or meetings in a timely manner, and that you keep the office staff informed of any changes to your
contact information. We will contact you by e-mail when special opportunities or calls for
emergency information arise, and we need your response as soon as possible in those and other
situations. There is also a large Department calendar posted in the entryway of the main office that
you may find helpful to consult. Announcements of Departmental and University events, as well as
events of interest in the broader Providence area, are also posted on bulletin boards on the 2 nd floor
of List, outside the office. Your mailbox in the Graduate Lounge should be checked regularly for
important communications that we will expect you to access there.
Email Listservs
There is a Department email listserv, maintained by the graduate student representatives, to which
you should subscribe. Subscription to HAAGRAD is restricted to Brown History of Art and
Architecture grad students only. It provides a forum for all kinds of communication relevant to the
HIAA grad community, including lecture announcements, calls for papers, job and grant leads, social
events, questions, etc. It is also the primary tool by which grad representatives communicate with
the Department’s grad students. To subscribe to HAAGRAD, send an email (from the account you
want to subscribe) to listserv@listserv.brown.edu. In the body of the message, type SUBSCRIBE
HAAGRAD.
6Department Events
Receptions and Get Togethers
In mid-September, a reception is held to welcome the incoming graduate students. Faculty and
resident graduate students in the department attend, as do many faculty, staff and colleagues from
other departments at Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the RISD Museum. This is an
excellent opportunity to get to know the art, art history and museum community. Likewise, there is an
annual winter holiday party held at mid-year. Commencement is a Department-wide affair that
includes graduate students, undergraduate concentrators, and department faculty and staff.
Research Roundtable Seminar
The Research Roundtable, generally held once a month but sometimes more often, is a forum for
intellectual exchange among faculty and graduate students. Speakers (who may be grad students,
faculty members or invited guests) present works in progress or deliver a practice run of a conference
paper in order to share their work and receive feedback from colleagues. Students interested in
presenting their work (dissertation chapters in progress, colloquium statements, drafts of professional
papers, or any relevant professional or intellectual issue for which someone would like to convene a
forum) or in having a workshop on a topic of general interest or professionalization should contact
the DGS to schedule such a meeting. Every student is expected to convene a roundtable at least once
before graduation, and to contribute topics, ideas and work to these informal professionalization
seminars.
Roundtables are generally held during the lunch hour, but may be convened in the evening if
preferred. Roundtables may also be convened for open discussions on any topic of interest to the
grad students in the department, such as grant writing, or other matters of professional interest. First
year grad students are required to attend the Roundtable; all others are expected to attend
unless their teaching or research schedules forbid them to do so. The success of the Roundtable, its
relevance, interest and inclusivity, depends entirely on student and faculty participation and
collaboration. The Roundtable is a cornerstone of the department community, and special meetings
of it can be scheduled outside of the normal time, whenever a cohort of critical thinkers is required
as an audience for your work. Those who regularly participate in the Roundtable will be more likely
to expect an invested audience when they need one themselves.
Guest Lectures
The Anita Glass Lecture is an endowed annual lecture that allows the Department to bring a major
speaker to campus each year. The Department also supports themed lecture series, which are
formulated to engage those working across a variety of architectural and art historical fields, as well
as lectures and colloquia led by visiting scholars. These events are planned by and for the
Department as well as for the wider intellectual community at Brown and beyond. It is expected that
graduate students will attend these whether or not they are directly related to their own research, and
that students will take an active role in such invited talks in terms of discussion, bringing people to
campus, etc. Brown is a thriving intellectual community, and you should be aware of the numerous
lectures and events hosted by other departments and centers, such as the Cogut Humanities Center,
the Joukowsky Institute, The Pembroke Center, The Center for the Study of the Early Modern
World, and the many other departments, centers and programs relevant to your research interests.
External Graduate Conferences
Annual graduate conferences are held at the Frick Museum in New York and at the New England
Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians. The Department nominates one student to each
of these who has an advanced and original contribution to make, usually as part of their dissertation.
Interested students who are ABD, or expect to be by the conference date, should respond to the call
for participation when it goes out in the fall semester. A Roundtable slot is held open for
presentation of these papers in advance to receive community input.
7Summary of Program Curriculum and Requirements
Admission Requirements
Applicants to the Graduate Program must possess the Bachelor of Arts degree or its equivalent.
Application is made directly to the Graduate School. The Department requires a writing sample to
be submitted with each application. The University TOEFL or IELTS requirement appears on the
Graduate School website https://www.brown.edu/academics/gradschool/application-
information/international-applicants/language-proficiency-toefl-or-ielts. We encourage applicants
to come to Brown prepared with knowledge of the languages needed in order to undertake research
in their chosen field. We also strongly recommend that applicants contact the professors with
whom they are interested in working, and/or the DGS, before submitting their applications.
Program Overview
Years 1-5
While time-to-completion of the PhD degree varies, at this writing the Graduate School does not
automatically provide funding beyond the five-year guarantee. Therefore, students ideally spend
their first and second years doing coursework; a third year preparing for and taking general exams,
teaching and proctoring and submitting a dissertation proposal at their colloquium; a fourth year of
dissertation research; and a fifth (and possibly sixth) year to write the dissertation and apply for jobs.
Sixth-Year Funding
Should sixth-year funding be necessary to complete the dissertation, students apply to the Graduate
School in February of their 5th year with the approval of their advisors and the DGS (see Graduate
School website, Dissertation Completion Plan --DCP--Timeline). There is no available funding
from the university for dissertation work beyond the sixth year. Students are strongly encouraged to
apply for external grants and fellowships, which will allow them extra time to complete their
dissertations and provide other intellectual and professional benefits as well.
Academic Requirements
The following requirements apply to all graduate students in the Department. Brown Graduate
School requirements are subject to change, and it is therefore important to consult that website and
the DGS for actual policy. You should also confer regularly with the DGS and with your advisor
about crafting your individual course of study and research, and staying on track.
There are two stages to the graduate program in HIAA: 1) fulfilling the requirements for the Masters
of Arts degree, and 2) candidacy for the Doctorate.
The DGS and the Department staff will do their best to make certain that you meet your
requirements in a timely manner, but in the end, you are responsible for knowing what those
requirements are, ensuring that you have met them, and that this has been registered in your file in
the department office. You can best do this by becoming familiar with the program requirements,
filling out and keeping a copy of the Information Sheet you will receive annually (see “Formal
Evaluation,” below), using the most recent version of the digital CV that the Graduate School asks
you to keep current, and checking in regularly with your advisor and the DGS.
8MA Requirements
Coursework
All students admitted to the doctoral program must first complete the requirements for the MA
degree (students entering with an MA in Art or Architectural History see “Scenario for Students
Entering with an MA,” below). During the first two years of residence, students must fulfill course
requirements, the language requirement, and complete the sequence HIAA 2920(Methods), and
HIAA 2930 (Practicum).Full time students enroll in 4 courses during their first year and 3 in
following years when they have TA assignments or proctorships (see “Tuition Units in FAQ).
Students must take all academic credit courses “ABC/No Credit” unless it is impossible to do so.
Independent Reading courses may be taken S/NC. At the end of each semester, students will receive
written evaluations of their performance from all instructors in the department with whom they have
studied or worked. These evaluations will take into account the student's participation and
performance in each course, as a proctor or TA, and evaluate progress towards the dissertation.
Evaluations provide fuller feedback than a simple grade. Students are urged to discuss evaluations
with faculty members, and to identify areas for improvement. We also urge students to be in close
contact with their advisors, with the DGS, with their instructors and with any professor in whose
course they serve as TA. A minimum of 10 course credits is required for the MA (see FAQ for
information on distribution requirements and transfer credits). This includes:
•No fewer than 6 departmental seminars, among them two 2000-level seminars. In individual cases
and after consultation with the student’s advisor or the DGS, a departmental seminar can be replaced
with a seminar outside of the Department, or with HIAA 2980 or 2981 (individual reading courses
conducted in consultation with a faculty member). Graduate-level courses in the department are
designated with a 2000 number. These include:
• HIAA 2920 [Methods of Art Historical Research and Interpretation] and HIAA 2930
Practicum [a project-oriented course that will typically culminate in an exhibition, catalogue
or other relevant group effort with a public outcome], which are required. Each is taught
every other year, usually in the fall semester. These classes count as seminars and can also
fulfill distribution requirements (see below under Distribution Requirements).
•
• Four other department seminars, with at least two at the 2000/graduate level. In
consultation with your advisor, an individual reading course with a department faculty
member (HIAA 2980 or 2981) may substitute for a seminar. Seminars outside the
department may also count toward the ten courses, if approved by the student’s advisor or
the DGS.
• Up to four undergraduate lecture courses or seminars within and outside of the department
can be taken for graduate credit, if the DGS and the instructor of that particular course agree
and come to terms on which the course may be modified for graduate credit.
• Appropriate graduate-level courses in other departments, or undergraduate classes in and outside
the department (up to four, with an advanced level of work expected, to be arrived at in consultation
with the professor and advisor) may be taken, but each requires instructor and advisor consultation.
Undergraduate courses can be taken for graduate credit by consulting with the professor of record to
modify the course requirements to graduate level work. Students can then register for an
Independent Reading course with the professor, or can simply register for the class with the
understanding that they will perform at the graduate level.
Language courses count towards full-time graduate enrollment, but do not count toward the 10 required classes.
9Language Requirements
Advanced research in the humanities requires knowledge of languages besides English. Students who
have studied languages other than English before arriving at Brown and have remained competent in
their reading abilities, or who are native speakers of a required language, may schedule a department
language exam at any time. Because of variability in standards and attrition of skills, the department
does not accept exam results from other schools and departments. Since the department seeks only
reading competence, and is not concerned how that competence was attained, there is no required
language coursework in the program, only the necessity that proficiency in reading (speed and quality
of translation) be demonstrated with a one-hour, open-dictionary translation exam without electronic
assistance. It is strongly recommended that students undertake language study in the summers and
before coming to Brown, in order to take best advantage of their time at Brown and to be able use
these languages in their research.
Therefore, all students are required to prove a reading knowledge of at least two languages besides
English in order to receive their MA/equivalent at Brown. The selection of languages will be
determined by the advisor, who will make a decision in consultation with the student. Many research
projects will require more than two languages. Graduate students are expected to undertake all
language study relevant to their research, but only the two discussed above will be required before
acceptance to the PhD program. The exams can be held any time and are arranged by appointment
with the administrator in the Department office. Unsuccessful exams are graded, and suggestions
made for improvement. There is no limit to the number of times that students may retake the
language exams, but they may not be admitted into the second stage of the PhD program without
having passed them. Examples of previous language exams are available in the Department office.
Master’s Qualifying Paper
By the third semester, students are expected to identify a topic for the Qualifying Paper (the “QP”).
The QP is a pre-dissertation exercise that provides a means for the student and the faculty to assess
whether or not the student can conceptualize new ideas, persuade by effective use of evidence and
argument, and write fluently and clearly, all required skills for undertaking a doctoral dissertation. The
Qualifying Paper is both a requirement for the MA degree and a gateway exercise for acceptance into
to the PhD program.
The QP can be an expanded or revised seminar paper, a thesis previously submitted for a Master’s
degree elsewhere, a published article, or new work. The paper should be about 30 pages in length
(not counting supporting materials, bibliography and notes), and must be read and approved by two
members of the faculty, one of whom is typically your advisor, or the departmental faculty member
who oversaw the writing of the original paper.The other is a member of, or affiliated with the
department. The QP may be accepted, accepted with revisions, or rejected.
In order to receive the MA in time for Commencement, the Department must notify the Graduate
School of your successful completion of MA requirements by May 1st. This means that your
Qualifying Paper must be approved by both readers before that date. When submitting your
Qualifying Paper for approval, leave plenty of time to make any requested revisions. It is not
required to submit copies of the Qualifying Paper to the Graduate School. To submit the QP for a
non-terminal MA degree see the Graduate School website under “Master’s Requirements.”
Students preparing their QP can register one only for HIAA 2940, Master’s Qualifying Paper
Preparation, as one of the three classes taken in the semester in which they are writing.
Research Roundtable Seminar
10All first year graduate students must attend the Research Roundtable (no course credit); all others are
strongly encouraged to attend (see above, “Department Events: Research Roundtable Seminar”).
Applying for admission to the PhD program:
Once all course requirements and distribution requirements are completed, two language
examinations have been passed, and the QP read and accepted, the student petitions the department
faculty (with a brief letter to the DGS) for formal acceptance into the doctoral program. The DGS
will bring this application before the faculty, the faculty will vote on it, and the student will then be
notified about the success of the application.
Only at this point are the requirements for the MA considered to have been met and general
examinations may be scheduled.
***
Requirements for the PhD
The doctoral program prepares students for specialized research and teaching in one of the fields
regularly taught on the graduate level by the Department. Students must satisfactorily complete the
general examination and colloquium examination (both described below) in order to progress to the
status of PhD candidacy and the dissertation writing stage. The program does not have a formal
dissertation defense, however PhD candidates are expected to present their work at the Department
at a Research Roundtable at least once during their studies at Brown. Ideally, students will have
completed the first part of the graduate program and be advanced to candidacy by their third year,
although this may vary.
Overview of timeline for academic milestones
Semesters 1-4: Coursework, passing language exams, acceptance of QP
Semesters 5-6: acceptance to PhD program, general exams, colloquium
Semesters 6-12: Teaching requirement fulfilled, Roundtable convened
Semester 10-12: Completion of the PhD
G e n e r a l E x a m in a t io n :
The general examination is designed to help students develop competency in their chosen field,
broadly defined, as well as to prepare them for focused research on their dissertations. There are
three members of the examination committee plus a chair, ex officio. They are the student’s primary
advisor, and another member, normally drawn from departmental faculty or affiliated. In the rare
case that examiners are drawn from outside the department or the university they must hold the
highest terminal degree in their represented field. If all parties deem advisable, there may be up to
three examiners posing one question apiece. The examination is intended to gauge the student’s
depth of understanding of the problems, history, literature and methodologies relevant to the field.
The oral examination is designed to extend the discussion of the written questions and focus on the
issues raised in the student’s written responses.
By the third semester, students will have discussed with their advisors what three fields will comprise
the general examination, who the examiners will be, and what readings are expected to be
accomplished before the exam. The general exam should be completed by the end of the fifth
semester (Fall of year three in program), though it can also take place as early as the student feels
prepared. It is comprised of a written exam followed a few days later by an oral exam.
11Forming the General Exam Committee and Defining Fields
Students should meet with their advisors before the end of semester 4 to determine who, besides the
advisor, will be a member of the examination committee. Examiners need not be readers of the
eventual dissertation, and in certain cases it will make more sense for an examiner to be drawn from
another department at Brown. The committee selection will ultimately be determined by the advisor,
who will decide in consultation with the student.
The student and primary advisor will meet together to define the fields of examination; usually one
of the minor fields will be developed in consultation with the other committee member. The major
field should be conceived with future teaching or curatorial work in mind, preparing for general
competency in the discipline. The minor fields may address the student’s proposed specialization
within the field, and the specific needs of the dissertation.
Preparing for the General Exam
The student will meet regularly with both members of the committee during the period of exam
preparation (usually one and no more than two semesters), to discuss schedules, expectations, form a
bibliography for each field question and to discuss the bibliography and related visual material.
Students and committee members will come to an agreement about the length and content of the
field bibliographies, and what constitutes adequate preparation.
General Guidelines for General Exam Bibliographies
A good baseline for the number of titles in each bibliography is 60-40-40, but the number of works is up to
each committee member. Final lists should be an outcome of conversations between the student and the
committee members. In conceptualizing bibliographies for the general exam, students should keep in mind that
they are not designed merely to advance dissertation research, but are instead meant to prepare the student for a
life-long career in their discipline(s). Students should ask themselves when they go on the job market, how will
they articulate their expertise? What will their scholarly identity be? The answer to these questions should
determine the shape of the major and minor fields.
For the major bibliography, a student might start by formulating a list of standard readings that are
indispensable for the field in the context of a fundamental preparation to teach or conduct research in that field.
This list will include both books and articles and may include both secondary and primary sources. Some
advisors may have a standard list that they give to the student as a baseline.
Each minor bibliography might comprise about 60-75% of the total number on the major list. These are more
specialized lists.
In preparation for the exam, we often ask students to prepare an annotated bibliography with short summaries
of each reading. These might be kept on Endnote or another program. Alternatively, students might wish to
group readings by sub-topic (for example, within medieval architecture, the bibliographies on Gothic
construction and architectural theory would be grouped and summarized in separate brief ‘states of the
question.’)
Students should be able to read for the exam in one year or less. Preparation should start long before the year of
the exam: students should start keeping lists of fundamental readings and lists of texts they have read.
Please note that these are general guidelines. It is ultimately up to each committee member to decide on the
exact length, nature, and content of the relevant bibliography and related exam.
Procedure and format of the General Exam
At least one week before the general exam the student must circulate the entire examination
bibliography to all committee members, including the chair of the exam. After that point, the
bibliographies cannot be changed before the exam.
The DGS will normally act as chair of the exam, administering the written part of the exam and will
also chair the oral examination that follows, based on written submission of the general exam. If the
DGS is also the student’s advisor or second exam committee member, another member of the
faculty will be appointed to chair the examination.
Written exam: The primary advisor will prepare the major field question and a minor question more
12narrowly focused on the student’s specific area of interest. The second member of the committee will
prepare the other minor field question. In some cases the student and committee members may
consider it advisable to share preparation of either the major or minor field questions. Committee
members may, if they wish, provide the student with a choice of questions from which to choose one
to answer. Committee members will provide the exam chair and other committee member with their
questions for the student at least one working day before the exam is to be administered. The exam
chair will email the questions to the student at a specific pre-agreed upon time, and the student will
confirm receipt by sending a reply email to the chair. The student will then answer the questions
within the space of 48 hours, and return the written work to the whole committee electronically. The
chair will check the transmission to make sure that it has been received completely. All members of
the committee will receive the responses to all the questions.
Students should spend the allotted time planning, writing and editing responses. Typically students
will answer the major question in around 10-15 double-spaced pages and the minor question in
around 5-10 double-spaced pages. The student has 48 hours to answer the questions, and may do so
using appropriate research resources, although it is not expected that these questions will require
further research beyond that done for general examination preparation.
Oral exam: The Oral Exam provides the opportunity to expand upon or discuss questions raised in
the written exam. The exam chair, with the assistance of the Academic Office Manager, will
schedule the oral exam at the convenience of all parties, usually to take place within 3-4 days after
the committee members have received the written exam responses. At the beginning of the exam
the chair, who will act as timekeeper, will ask the student to choose the order in which to take the
3questions. The major field question should be discussed for about 40 minutes, and each of the
minor field questions for about 20 minutes. While the committee member who posed the question
under discussion should take the lead, it is understood that the other committee member and the
chair may ask for clarification by the student at any point where they think it will be profitable in
assessing the student’s knowledge, keeping in mind the brevity of the process. When the examiners
are satisfied, or after 80 minutes of discussion, the chair will terminate the discussion and invite the
student to leave the room so the committee can discuss the results of the examination and arrive at a
decision about the student’s performance. This will normally be in the form of a discussion
moderated by the chair. When a decision has been reached the student will be ushered back into the
room and informed of the results of the examination.
Assessment of the General Exam
Both the written and oral exercises will be assessed by the two faculty members on the examination
committee. After the oral exam, the chair will write a brief official memorandum of the results of the
exam, which will be circulated to the student, the committee members and the Academic Office
Manager so it may be entered into the student’s file. In addition the chair, as a non-participating
member of the exam group, may provide the student with a written memo of any recommendations
for further investigation that might have emerged in the assessment discussion or in the exam itself
and if so, should send that on to the committee members as well.
Students who fail all or part of the written or oral exam will have one opportunity to retake it. The
student will be provided with a new question or new questions and the committee will be
reconvened. The retake must be successfully completed by the end of the next semester. Failure to
pass the retake will result in termination from the graduate program. Passing the general examination
qualifies the student to move on to the next stage: preparing a dissertation prospectus, assembling a
committee, and defending the prospectus in a colloquium.
Failure to complete the exam by the end of the student’s fifth semester in the graduate program will
result in the student being put on "Warning" status (see “Evaluation” below). In exceptional
circumstances students may petition the DGS for an extension of one semester, to take the exams at
the end of the sixth semester. The student will make a plan for a revised schedule that will be
13submitted to the advisor and the DGS.
Diss ert at ion Com m it t ee a nd P ro spe ct us
Formation and Maintenance of the Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee normally consists of three members. Usually at least two members of the
HIAA Department (the student’s advisor and one other) will serve on the committee. The third
committee member may teach in a different department at Brown or in any department at another
university. This person must hold a tenure track position at a four-year university or college, or hold
the highest academic degree in their field. They are chosen in consultation between the student and
advisor, and with the approval of the Department. Students and committee members should be
mindful that committee members will often be lifelong colleagues, will write letters of
recommendation for them, and will act as mentors in many ways. The position is therefore a
relationship that entails a great deal of responsibility and should be treated with respect. It does
happen that, as dissertations progress and sometimes change, it becomes advisable for committee
membership to change as well. In such cases, which are normal, it is important to notify the
committee member as soon as possible, with clarity as well as sensitivity. Although the advisor will be
the committee member that will be most involved with the structure and progress of the dissertation, it
is essential to keep other committee members apprised of progress in the dissertation, major
professional undertakings, and when they might expect to receive chapters to read, grant proposals to
vet, or letters of recommendation to write. In addition, all committee members are resources in
different capacities, and graduate school is the best time to take advantage of what they can offer by
way of critical exchange and professional development.
The Dissertation Prospectus
The dissertation prospectus sets out the major question or problem to be pursued in the dissertation.
Length may vary, but it will normally run about 15 pages (double spaced), and should articulate the
project in the context of the most relevant scholarship and bibliography, address the contribution the
project makes to its field, and what major sources and the critical methods will be used. The
prospectus should be circulated to the members of the dissertation committee and discussed with all
of the individual committee members well before the student’s colloquium.
The dissertation prospectus offers a starting point for dissertation research. It clarifies arguments,
outlines a research plan, organizes a schedule for funding and completion in a document that will be
returned to again and again. It is a checklist, the seedbed for grant proposals and conference
abstracts. It is important to take time to make it as clear and concise as possible, and to update it
whenever necessary. Its readers will come from multiple intellectual backgrounds, and the language
used to describe the dissertation project should be clear to both broad and specific audiences.
Students will benefit by our policy of structuring the dissertation prospectus on the model of a grant
proposal, following guidelines such as the very clear recommendations of the American Council for
Learned Societies (ACLS). That document is available on their webpage. Once the prospectus is
written and refined, it is advisable for the student to approach members of the department who are not
specialists in the student’s particular field as readers, to check for clarity of argument and economy of
expression. They might also wish to consult previous successful prospectuses.
The general format for the prospectus would be:
1. Clear and concise statement of the material and argument of the dissertation (2-3 pages)
2. The state of the fields relevant to the dissertation, with discussion of the relevant major published
works and how the dissertation interacts with, or differs from them in argument and method (ca. 3-5
pages)
3. A narrated table of contents of the dissertation, with a summary of each chapter and how each
relates to the dissertation as a whole. (2-3 pages)
4. A bibliography of the major sources relevant to your work. (3-4 pages)
145. A timeline, as specific as possible, of the time to completion. This should narrate when research
will be undertaken and where, which grants will be applied for and when, when the student will begin
to write, and an expected date of completion. (1-2 pages)
C ol l o q ui u m E x a m i n at i o n
The purpose of the colloquium is to bring the entire dissertation committee together for a conversation
to discuss and assess the viability of the project as it is stated in the dissertation prospectus. It will
normally be chaired by the DGS and attended by the student and all the members of the dissertation
committee (see preceding section for the constitution of this committee). As with the general
examination, if the DGS is a member of the dissertation committee, another member of the faculty
will be appointed to chair the examination. The ideal colloquium is a lively, searching, workshop-like
conversation that takes place after the student has discussed the dissertation prospectus in detail with
each member of the committee separately, and has refined the document to the point where the
student and the advisor feel satisfied that all the most important issues have been raised with each
committee member, and that all the comments received have been synthesized in the final document.
The student must circulate a copy of the final prospectus to the committee and chair one week before
the colloquium is convened. After the document is circulated it may not be changed until after the
colloquium: the colloquium is a discussion about that particular document. The colloquium
discussion should last no more than one hour. At the conclusion of this period, the student will be
excused from the room, and the committee will assess the viability of the project and immediately
notify the student whether or not the project has been accepted. It is expected that any minor
revisions that come up in colloquium will be immediately be incorporated into the document, which
will them be recirculated to the committee. If the project is not accepted, it will be made clear what is
wanted and the timeframe for revising will be established. A new colloquium will then be scheduled.
As with the general exam, the chair will circulate a memo to the participants and to the Academic
Office Manager stating the results of the colloquium. Advancement to PhD candidacy is achieved
with the passing of the colloquium.
If students fail the colloquium they will have one opportunity to retake it. The retake must be
successfully completed by the end of the next semester. Failure to pass the retake will result in
termination from the graduate program.
ABD status
After the general exams (written and oral parts) have been passed and the colloquium successfully
completed, the student is considered ABD ("all but dissertation" status). The Graduate School
requires three years of full-time residency at Brown, so students who are beyond coursework will
typically enroll in courses for general exam preparation or dissertation writing—although
participation in regular courses is still allowed. The balance of the graduate career should be devoted
single-mindedly to researching and writing the dissertation. Students will typically register for
advanced dissertation writing courses with their committee members at that point.
The Dissertation
The dissertation should be a substantial book-length contribution to the scholarship in the history of
art and architecture, embodying original research, and suitable for publication as submitted or in
revised form. Students should be in close touch with the advisor, committee members and DGS
throughout their graduate careers, submitting progress reports and chapter drafts regularly, even
when undertaking research away from campus.
While the work on the dissertation is under way, a written progress report by the student is required
15each semester. In addition, a form is sent from the office and DGS to each student that must be
updated every year, is kept in the student’s file, and circulated to the student’s committee.
The deadline for submission of the dissertation for May Commencement is in late January
for semester I or early May for semester II (consult the Graduate School website for yearly
specific dates). However, students should not wait until the deadline to alert readers that the final
version is coming. Allow plenty of time for carrying out requested revisions. The end of any
semester is a time when faculty members are busy. It is a bad moment to make further large claims
on their attention by turning in an entire dissertation. Therefore, aim to turn in as much material as
possible by mid-semester to ensure a careful reading and timely response from committee members.
Teaching Assistantships and Proctorships
In coordination with the Graduate School, the Department determines the form in which guaranteed
Graduate School funding is allocated. TAships, Teaching Fellowships, Proctorships, Research
Assistantships, and Research Fellowships will be assigned according to the faculty’s assessment of the
graduate student’s needs as well as the needs of the undergraduate program. These positions come
with tuition, health insurance, health services fee, and a stipend.
Brown’s PhD program trains graduate students to become educators as well as researchers. We
regard TAships not only as financial aid, but also as an opportunity to develop teaching skills. Most
students will hold TAships in the Department from the second year. Each TA works closely with the
professor of the assigned course. Many courses will require designing independent discussion
sections in consultation with the instructor for undergraduate students enrolled in the class. Students
will be asked to teach two sections of approximately 25 students each, and to grade assignments.
Faculty members differ in their requirements for TAs working with them, but the TA should allot
20 hours on the average per week to this job; see below. The Graduate Students in HIAA have
compiled a TA Handbook that is available on the department website, which they update and
maintain.
Proctorships are research internships, normally at the RISD Museum but also elsewhere, and do not
substitute for the teaching requirement. There may also be opportunities to serve as a Research
Assistant for a professor in the Department or other departments.
Union
Brown’s graduate students are unionized and all Department appointments are made in compliance with the
Collective Bargaining Agreement made between Brown and SUGSE:
https://www.brown.edu/about/administration/human-resources/sites/human-
resources/files/Brown%20SUGSE%20Final%20Agreement_061520.pdf
See Appendix F for excerpts from the Union contract relevant to TA and Proctor appointments.
Distribution of TAs
The Department is committed to a policy that will allow us to staff large classes appropriately, while
allowing graduate students the opportunity to teach in smaller classes, especially those in their chosen
areas of interest. To this end the Department keeps records of enrollments by course, a history of
which courses graduate students have TA’d for, and a history of when and which small classes (under
50 students) have had TAs. The goal is to staff the large classes to a ratio of 1 TA per 40
undergraduates when possible, and to assign, on a rotating basis, a single TA to classes between 35
and 50 students. Classes under 35 students will not receive a TA unless enrollments are such that
there are enough people and positions. The Department will try to ensure that graduate students will
have the opportunity to TA for a variety of classes, including smaller (35-50) classes and, at least once
during their time at Brown, a class taught by their advisor. Graduate students should understand,
however, that the opportunity to TA for their advisor will depend on enrollments.
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